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I'm looking for the best deal on a case of the newly released '10 Gvaot Pinot Noir. I heard they are in high demand, particularly after the positive reports from the tastings in NYC the past week. So far I've found Skyview selling for $47.95, onlykosherwine.com selling for $49.99, and 67 Wine selling for $44.99 (but only for today, then the price increases). I'm hoping to stock up before it all sells out! Thanks in advance for any leads.

This is a keeper but not a cellar rat (yeah yeah, I KNOW WHAT a cellar rat is). This wine is a two year max wine. This is not a Bordeuax or even a Yarden Pinot, which in regards to Yarden is more like a Bordeaux in a Burgundy bottle. Drink within the next two years - or cry away your money - (GARY?), in my opinion -

Wow - still gun shy, sorry have not gotten over the abuse I received in NY - enough said - LOL!!!

Two years?? I didn't think it's for long-term cellaring either, but 2 years seems short! Any other opinions?Having said that, it's drinking perfectly well now and I doubt it can improve much, so I'll err on the side of caution. Besides, I don't have the will-power to make so little of such a great wine last long

Again, Burgundy, Pinot Noir, or whatever you wish to call it, is the kosher wine world's proverbial "needle in the haystack". They are hard to find and are therefore jacked up way high. The sad thing is most of them still stink. The few exceptions have been noted here many times, but this one is nice. Is it as good a QPR as a Burgundy - NO! But there is no good kosher Burgundy - so life goes on...

Pardon my cynical response, but this demand is driven by hype than by anything to do with the quality of the wine. I say this even though I haven't tasted the wine, but come on, how many attempts must be made to produce Pinot Noir in Israel, before everyone admits that the climate is just not suited for the variety.

Pardon my cynical response, but this demand is driven by hype than by anything to do with the quality of the wine. I say this even though I haven't tasted the wine, but come on, how many attempts must be made to produce Pinot Noir in Israel, before everyone admits that the climate is just not suited for the variety.

-> Pinchas

Yes, a great deal of hype, but as someone who has tasted the wine, it is certainly top 3 Kosher Pinots I've tasted from any region

Lior Yogev wrote:Pinchas, this was my intuition as well.Andrew, thanks, I wasn't aware of the scarcity of kosher pinot and I assumed that for 50$ you can find a kosher burg.

Lior

Hi Lior,

If you can, please try it. While it's also not cheap by any means here, it's still quite more affordable than in the States obviously and for someone like you having probably some experience with good burgundy, your opinion would be even more interesting to read.

Considering what I can get at its price point (just of the top of my head - Petite Castel, CG Syrah, CdG Har'el Syrah...) I'm not convinced enough to purchase it, although I am slightly curious. If I'll see it at a tasting I'll give it a go (although considering its quantity - it's unlikely to appear at tastings). Unfortunately I have almost no experience with burgs, but I did have the opportunity to try some nice pinots in Sonoma. As for Israel, perhaps the most convincing attempt I've seen with the variety was Anava's pinot, but at 170NIS (at the time) I can't really recommend it (and I don't know about its kosher status as well). Yarden had a nice go at 1999 if I'm not mistaken, before they started to drown it with oak.

David Raccah wrote:This is a keeper but not a cellar rat (yeah yeah, I KNOW WHAT a cellar rat is). This wine is a two year max wine. This is not a Bordeuax or even a Yarden Pinot, which in regards to Yarden is more like a Bordeaux in a Burgundy bottle. Drink within the next two years - or cry away your money - (GARY?), in my opinion -

Wow - still gun shy, sorry have not gotten over the abuse I received in NY - enough said - LOL!!!

Why would any one criticize you DR? Your wine posts and TN's are IMHO neutral and honest.. Winery's and importers need to accept the facts at face value, they can either change based on our feedback or dish out as they please...

Pardon my cynical response, but this demand is driven by hype than by anything to do with the quality of the wine. I say this even though I haven't tasted the wine, but come on, how many attempts must be made to produce Pinot Noir in Israel, before everyone admits that the climate is just not suited for the variety.

-> Pinchas

Pinchas:The old adage about trashing a book you haven't read comes to mind. Give this wine a shot before hurling stones. I personally hadn't heard anything about this wine until I tried it at the KWS tasting, and it blew me away. The fact that there is only one other good PN on the kosher market (Four Gates--Yarden PN is a nice wine but doesn't taste like a PN) explains the excitement. But it's a great wine and if you tasted it, you'd see for yourself.

Pardon my cynical response, but this demand is driven by hype than by anything to do with the quality of the wine. I say this even though I haven't tasted the wine, but come on, how many attempts must be made to produce Pinot Noir in Israel, before everyone admits that the climate is just not suited for the variety.

-> Pinchas

Pinchas:The old adage about trashing a book you haven't read comes to mind. Give this wine a shot before hurling stones. I personally hadn't heard anything about this wine until I tried it at the KWS tasting, and it blew me away. The fact that there is only one other good PN on the kosher market (Four Gates--Yarden PN is a nice wine but doesn't taste like a PN) explains the excitement. But it's a great wine and if you tasted it, you'd see for yourself.

Elie,

All I've said is that Pinot Noir is a variety that is not suited for the Israeli climate. Some winemakers have taken it as a challenge to prove that they can produce Pinot Noir in spite of that. I, and and just about every sensible Israeli winemaker, think that it makes no sense to force the issue. I recall several years ago that Ella Valley's bottling was all the rage. I tried it and was unimpressed to say the least. That a winemaker chooses to bang his head against the proverbial wall is not a feather he should place in his cap. This situation is akin to someone trying to convince me to purchase New York pineapples rather than purchase Hawaiian fruit, after I've already had several samples of it. I prefer to support those winemakers doing the sensible thing, spending time and effort on finding those varieties that will excel in Israel and produce distinctive wines.

Pinchas L wrote:All I've said is that Pinot Noir is a variety that is not suited for the Israeli climate. Some winemakers have taken it as a challenge to prove that they can produce Pinot Noir in spite of that. I, and and just about every sensible Israeli winemaker, think that it makes no sense to force the issue.[...] I prefer to support those winemakers doing the sensible thing, spending time and effort on finding those varieties that will excel in Israel and produce distinctive wines.

You know what Pinchas? If I was living in NYC, I would invite you for a tasting of the Gvaot PN just to force you to taste it! Your "stubbornness" with Israeli Pinot Noir even convinced me to open a bottle especially for you on your next trip to Israel (if I'll have any left)!

Pinchas - I assume you are referring to Ella's 2005 Pinot which wasn't all that great. The 2008 vintage is superb and one of the top three available kosher Pinot Noir wines (the other two being the Four Gates and currently discussed Gvaot).

While I agree that Israel's hotter climate isn't perfectly suited for Pinot Noir (to say the least) and even the best versions aren't the true expressions of the varietal you find in Burgundy, the successful versions are delicious wines that provide great pleasure and a[nother] deviation from the more traditional wines most kosher consumers usually enjoy (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Bordeaux blends). I'm not sure that Israeli winemaker's experimentation and desire to provide a multitude of wines for kosher consumers is properly characterized as "banging their head against the wall"...

I can say that after speaking to Shivi Drori at Gvaot it is defintely not head banging, but a labor of love for one of his most favorite wines. I think his efforts shine through and are expressed in an honorable presentation of Pinot Noir. He can be proud of his achievment.